Fire-fighting apparatus, box assembly, battery, power consumption apparatus, and method for preparing battery

ABSTRACT

The present application provides a fire-fighting apparatus, a box assembly, a battery, a power consumption apparatus, and a method for preparing a battery. The fire-fighting apparatus includes: a pipe, a gas release mechanism, and a blocking structure. The pipe has an air inlet end and an air outlet end, and the air inlet end is configured to be connected to the battery, so that a combustible gas generated in the battery during thermal runaway events is capable of entering the pipe from the box via the air inlet end and being discharged from the pipe via the air outlet end; and the gas release mechanism is configured to be connected to the pipe and release a fire-fighting gas into the pipe when thermal runaway occurs in the battery; and the blocking structure is configured to block the combustible gas and the fire-fighting gas and change a flow direction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/718,832, filed on Apr. 12, 2022, which is a continuation ofInternational Application No. PCT/CN2020/129433, filed on Nov. 17, 2020.All of the afore-mentioned patent applications are hereby incorporatedby reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to the technical field of batterysafety, and in particular, to a fire-fighting apparatus, a box assembly,a battery, a power consumption apparatus, and a method for preparing abattery.

BACKGROUND

As an energy storage device, a battery is a core component of a hybridvehicle and an electric vehicle. When the battery is overcharged orover-discharged or short-circuited, thermal runaway occurs, and acombustible gas emitted may explode and cause a fire. Therefore,fireproofing processing requires to be performed on the battery.

SUMMARY

The present application aims to provide a fire-fighting apparatus, a boxassembly, a battery, a power consumption apparatus, and a method forpreparing a battery, so as to reduce the risk of open flames whenthermal runaway occurs in the battery.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides afire-fighting apparatus configured for a battery, including: a pipe, agas release mechanism, and a blocking structure. The pipe has an airinlet end and an air outlet end, and the air inlet end is configured tobe connected to a box of the battery, so that a combustible gasgenerated in the battery during thermal runaway events is capable ofentering the pipe from the box via the air inlet end and beingdischarged from the pipe via the air outlet end; and the gas releasemechanism is configured to be connected to the pipe, and the gas releasemechanism is configured to release a fire-fighting gas into the pipewhen thermal runaway occurs in the battery; where a blocking structureis provided in the pipe, and the blocking structure is configured toblock the combustible gas and the fire-fighting gas and change a flowdirection, so that the combustible gas and the fire-fighting gas arecapable of being mixed before being discharged from the pipe.

In the forgoing technical solution, when thermal runaway occurs in abattery, a combustible gas inside a box enters a pipe via an air inletend of the pipe, so that an air pressure inside the box of the batteryis reduced, and an explosion caused by excessive air pressure inside thebox is avoided. In addition, a fire-fighting gas is produced, whichquickly fills the pipe, and drives the combustible gas to be dischargedfrom an air outlet end of the pipe after being mixed with thecombustible gas. Therefore, it is possible to provide a barrier betweenthe outside air and the combustible gas discharged from the box.

Furthermore, a blocking structure allows the fire-fighting gas and thecombustible gas to mix in the pipe, to reduce the concentration of thecombustible gas in the pipe, so that the mixed gas discharged from theair outlet end of the pipe is not easy to catch fire or explode when itcomes into contact with air. In addition, the fire-fighting gas is alsobeneficial for lowering a temperature of the combustible gas, therebyfurther preventing the occurrence of open flames.

Therefore, the fire-fighting apparatus provided by the foregoingsolution of the present application could reduce the risk of open flameswhen thermal runaway occurs in the battery, while suppressing the spreadof thermal runaway in the battery, which extends the safety evacuationtime of a person, and achieves the purpose of fire prevention and safetyprotection.

In some embodiments of the present application, the blocking structureis configured to make a flow path of at least part of a gas in the pipea meandering shape.

In the foregoing technical solution, advantages of a gas traveling inthe pipe in a meandering manner are as follows: on one hand, a mixingpath of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas can be extended,and a mixing time of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas canbe increased, thereby improving the mixing effect of the two; on anotherhand, traveling in a meandering manner intensifies the colliding andmixing of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas, therebyimproving the mixing effect of the two and reducing the situation of theoccurrence of fire due to the excessive-high local concentration of thecombustible gas discharged from the pipe.

In some embodiments of the present application, a projection of theblocking structure in an extension direction of the pipe covers aprojection of a cavity of the pipe in the extension direction of thepipe.

In the foregoing technical solution, a projection of the blockingstructure in an extension direction of the pipe covers a projection of acavity (that is, an internal passage) of the pipe in the extensiondirection of the pipe, so that the combustible gas discharged from thebox and the fire-fighting gas both in the pipe flow through the blockingstructure and travel in a meandering manner rather than in a straightline.

In some embodiments of the present application, the blocking structureincludes a plurality of baffle plates, the plurality of baffle platesare arranged at interval in an extension direction of the pipe, and thebaffle plate is provided with an opening for a gas to pass through, orthe baffle plate encloses with an inner wall of the pipe to form anopening for a gas to pass through, where projections of two adjacentopenings in the extension direction of the pipe are disposed to bemisaligned.

In the foregoing technical solution, when the gas flows through aplurality of baffle plates, a flow path of the gas is a meandering path.In addition, the baffle plate can not only mix gases, but also prevent ahigh-temperature particle entering the pipe from the box from flowingout of the pipe, thereby avoiding risks that may be caused by theoutflow of the high-temperature particle, such as causing a fire.

In some embodiments of the present application, the plurality of baffleplates at least includes a pair of arc-shaped plates, and concavesurfaces of the pair of arc-shaped plates are disposed opposite to eachother.

In the foregoing technical solution, since concave surfaces of a pair ofarc-shaped plates are disposed opposite to each other, when a gas entersan interval of the pair of arc-shaped plates, a concave surface of onearc-shaped plate of the pair of arc-shaped plates can guide the gastoward the other arc-shaped plate, which could intensify the collisionof gases between the pair of arc-shaped plates and increase the mixingtime of the gases, and thus it is beneficial for a full mixing of thefire-fighting gas and the combustible gas.

In some embodiments of the present application, the blocking structureincludes a spiral blade, and a centerline of the spiral blade coincideswith or is parallel to a central axis of the pipe.

In the foregoing technical solution, the spiral blade can make a flowpath of the mixed gas a spiral shape, which is beneficial for fullmixing of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas.

In some embodiments of the present application, the blocking structureincludes a plurality of spiral blades, the plurality of spiral bladesare arranged in an extension direction of the pipe, and directions ofrotation of two adjacent spiral blades are opposite.

In the foregoing technical solution, spiral blades with two differentdirections of rotation may change a direction of rotation of the gas,which could further enhance the effect of mixing the gases.

In some embodiments of the present application, the gas releasemechanism is installed at the pipe.

In the foregoing technical solution, it is beneficial for shortening thetime for the fire-fighting gas to enter the pipe, and an intermediateconnector between the gas release mechanism and the pipe is omitted,which could simplify the structure and save the cost.

In some embodiments of the present application, an installation positionof the gas release mechanism while compared with the blocking structure,is closer to the air inlet end.

In the foregoing technical solution, it is beneficial for mixing thefire-fighting gas and the combustible gas, thereby ensuring the mixingeffect of the blocking structure on the fire-fighting gas andcombustible gas.

In some embodiments of the present application, the gas releasemechanism is provided outside the pipe, a through hole is provided on awall of the pipe, and the gas release mechanism is connected to thethrough hole, to release the fire-fighting gas into the pipe through thethrough hole.

In some embodiments of the present application, the through hole ismultiple in quantity, and the multiple through holes are arranged atinterval in an extension direction of the pipe.

In the foregoing technical solution, multiple through holes may ensure arapid release of a sufficient amount of fire-fighting gas, therebyensuring the reliability of fire prevention.

In some embodiments of the present application, the gas releasemechanism includes: a fire-fighting medium, a housing, and a closuremember. The fire-fighting medium is the fire-fighting gas, or, afire-fighting solid or a fire-fighting liquid capable of generating thefire-fighting gas; the housing is configured to accommodate thefire-fighting medium, and the housing is connected to the through holeand is provided with an air outlet hole; and the closure member isconfigured to close the air outlet hole, and the closure member isconfigured to be capable of releasing closure of the air outlet holewhen thermal runaway occurs in the battery, so that the fire-fightinggas enters the pipe through the air outlet hole.

In some embodiments of the present application, the fire-fighting mediumis the fire-fighting solid or the fire-fighting liquid, and the gasrelease mechanism further includes a trigger, the trigger is configuredto trigger the fire-fighting solid or the fire-fighting liquid whenthermal runaway occurs in the battery to generate the fire-fighting gas,and the closure member is configured to be capable of opening the airoutlet hole when an air pressure in the housing reaches a firstthreshold to release the fire-fighting gas.

In some embodiments of the present application, the fire-fighting mediumis the fire-fighting liquid or the fire-fighting gas capable ofgenerating the fire-fighting gas, and the fire-fighting liquid or thefire-fighting gas is encapsulated in the housing, and when the airoutlet hole is enclosed by the closure member, a pressure in the housingis larger than a pressure in the pipe, and the closure member is avalve.

In some embodiments of the present application, a length of the pipe is50-200 cm.

In the foregoing technical solution, advantages of setting the length ofthe pipe within such a range are as follows: first, it facilitates theinstallation of the gas release mechanism, which is beneficial for theinstallation of a plurality of gas release mechanisms; second, adistance for lowering a temperature is increased, so that the mixed gasof the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas has a sufficientdistance for lowering a temperature, and thus the possibility ofcatching a fire at the air outlet end of the pipe is reduced; and third,a distance for exchanging the oxygen is increased, so that ahigh-temperature region near the box becomes an oxygen-deficient region,thereby reducing the risk of open flames in the high-temperature region.

In some embodiments of the present application, the fire-fightingapparatus further includes a gas collection device, and the gascollection device is hermetically connected to the air outlet end tocollect a gas discharged from the air outlet end.

In the foregoing technical solution, a gas collection device isprovided, which could prevent the mixed gas from being directlydischarged to the external environment and polluting the environment.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides abox assembly, including: a box, a pressure relief mechanism, and thefire-fighting apparatus provided according to the embodiment of thefirst aspect; the box is configured to accommodate a battery cell; thefire-fighting apparatus is provided outside the box, and the air inletend of the fire-fighting apparatus is connected to the box; and thepressure relief mechanism is configured to be actuated when an airpressure or temperature in the box reaches a second threshold, so that acombustible gas in the box is capable of entering the pipe from the airinlet end.

In some embodiments of the present application, the pressure reliefmechanism is provided on the box, and the air inlet end is provided onthe pressure relief mechanism while covering it.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides abattery, including a battery cell, and the box assembly providedaccording to the embodiment of the second aspect; and the battery cellis provided in the box.

In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides apower consumption apparatus, including the battery provided by the thirdaspect.

In a fifth aspect, a method for producing a battery is provided,including providing a battery cell; providing a box; providing afire-fighting apparatus, the fire-fighting apparatus including: a pipeand a gas release mechanism, the pipe having an air inlet end and an airoutlet end, and the air inlet end being configured to be connected tothe box, so that a combustible gas generated in the battery duringthermal runaway events in the battery is capable of entering the pipefrom the box via the air inlet end and being discharged from the pipevia the air outlet end; and the gas release mechanism being connected tothe pipe, and the gas release mechanism being configured to release afire-fighting gas into the pipe when thermal runaway occurs in thebattery; where a blocking structure is provided in the pipe, and theblocking structure is configured to block the combustible gas and thefire-fighting gas and change a flow direction, so that the combustiblegas and the fire-fighting gas are capable of being mixed before beingdischarged from the pipe; disposing the battery cell in the box; anddisposing the fire-fighting apparatus outside the box, and connectingthe air inlet end to the box.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the presentapplication more clearly, the following briefly introduces accompanyingdrawings required for describing the embodiments. It should beunderstood that the following accompanying drawings only show some ofthe embodiments of the present application, and thus should not beregarded as limitation on the scope; and a person of ordinary skill inthe art may still derive other drawings from these accompanying drawingswithout creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle provided by an embodiment ofthe present application;

FIG. 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of a battery provided by anembodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of a boxassembly provided by an embodiment of the present application, where anupper cover body is not shown;

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of a box assembly provided by anembodiment of the present application, where an upper cover body is notshown;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of afire-fighting apparatus provided by an embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 6 is a schematic left view of a fire-fighting apparatus provided byan embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional landscape diagram of afire-fighting apparatus provided by an embodiment of the presentapplication, where a gas release mechanism is not shown;

FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional landscape diagram of afire-fighting apparatus provided by an embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional landscape diagram of afire-fighting apparatus provided by another embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional landscape diagram of afire-fighting apparatus provided by yet another embodiment of thepresent application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of ablocking structure of a fire-fighting apparatus provided by anembodiment of the present application, where a plurality of baffles areshown;

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view of a three-dimensional structureof a fire-fighting apparatus provided by an embodiment of the presentapplication, where a C-shaped plate is shown;

FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a fire-fightingapparatus in an extension direction of a pipe provided by anotherembodiment of the present application, where a spherical plate is shown;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged schematic diagram of part A in FIG. 13 ;

FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a fire-fightingapparatus in an extension direction of a pipe provided by an embodimentof the present application, where a spiral blade is shown andcross-sectional processing is not performed on a gas release mechanism;

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of ablocking structure provided by an embodiment of the present application,where a spiral blade is shown;

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a fire-fightingapparatus in an extension direction of a pipe provided by an embodimentof the present application, where a spiral blade and a baffle are shown,and cross-sectional processing is not performed on a gas releasemechanism;

FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a fire-fightingapparatus in an extension direction of a pipe provided by an embodimentof the present application, where a convex part is shown;

FIG. 19 is a schematic front view of a fire-fighting apparatus providedby an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of afire-fighting apparatus provided by an embodiment of the presentapplication, where a gas release mechanism is not shown;

FIG. 21 is a schematic front view of a fire-fighting apparatus providedby an embodiment of the present application, where a gas collectiondevice is shown;

FIG. 22 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a gas releasemechanism of a fire-fighting apparatus provided by an embodiment of thepresent application;

FIG. 23 is a schematic bottom view of a gas release mechanism of afire-fighting apparatus provided by an embodiment of the presentapplication;

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of a gasrelease mechanism of a fire-fighting apparatus provided by anotherembodiment of the present application;

FIG. 25 is a schematic front view of a gas release mechanism of afire-fighting apparatus provided by another embodiment of the presentapplication; and

FIG. 26 is a schematic flowchart of a method for preparing a batteryprovided by an embodiment of the present application.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

To describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the presentapplication more clearly, the following briefly introduces accompanyingdrawings required for describing the embodiments. It should beunderstood that the following accompanying drawings only show some ofthe embodiments of the present application, and thus should not beregarded as limitation on the scope; and a person of ordinary skill inthe art may still derive other drawings from these accompanying drawingswithout creative efforts.

To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of theembodiments of the present application clearer, the following clearlyand completely describes the technical solutions in the embodiments ofthe present application with reference to the accompanying drawings inthe embodiments of the present application. Apparently, the describedembodiments are merely some but not all of the embodiments of thepresent application. Generally, components of the embodiments of thepresent application described and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings herein may be arranged and designed in various differentconfigurations.

Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of thepresent application provided in the accompanying drawings is notintended to limit the protection scope of the present application, butonly represents the selected embodiment of the present application. Allother embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the artbased on the embodiments of the present application without creativeefforts shall fall within the protection scope of the presentapplication.

It shall be noted that the embodiments of the present application andthe characteristics in the embodiments may be combined with each otherin the case of no conflict. It should be noted that similar referencesigns and letters indicate similar items in the following accompanyingdrawings. Therefore, once a certain item is defined in one drawing, itis not necessary to further define and explain it in the followingaccompanying drawings.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, itshould be noted that the indication of orientation or positionalrelationship is based on the orientation or positional relationshipshown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positionalrelationship usually placed when the product of the present applicationis used, or the orientation or positional relationship commonlyunderstood by a person of skilled in the art, which is merely forconvenience of describing the present application and for simplifyingthe description, rather than for indicating or implying that anapparatus or element indicated must have a specific orientation, andmust be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, which thusmay not be understood as limitation to the present application. Inaddition, the terms “first”, “second”, and “third” are only used todistinguish descriptions, and shall not be understood as an indicationor implication of relative importance.

In the description of the present invention, it should also be notedthat unless otherwise explicitly specified and defined, the terms“disposing”, “mounting”, “connecting” and “connection” should beunderstood in a broad sense, for example, they may be a fixedconnection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection, may bea mechanical connection, or may be an electrical connection, may be adirect connection and may also be an indirect connection via anintermediate medium, or may be communication between the interiors oftwo elements. A person of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate thespecific meanings of the foregoing terms in the present applicationaccording to specific conditions.

In addition, the battery mentioned in the embodiment of the presentapplication refers to a single physical module that includes one or morebattery cells to provide a higher voltage and capacity. For example, thebattery mentioned in the present application may include a battery packor a battery module. The battery generally includes a box for enclosingone or more battery cells. The box may prevent a liquid or other foreignmatters from affecting the charging or discharging of the battery cell.

A plurality of battery cells are connected in series and/or in parallelvia a bus component to be applied to various applications. In somehigh-power applications such as electric vehicles, there are generallythree levels: a battery cell, a battery module, and a battery pack. Thebattery module is to electrically connect a certain number of batterycells together. The battery pack is composed of one or more batterymodules in a sealed box, and the battery pack is connected to a chassisof the electric vehicle through the box.

A battery cell may include a lithium-ion secondary battery, alithium-ion primary battery, a lithium-sulfur battery, asodium/lithium-ion battery, a sodium-ion battery or a magnesium-ionbattery, etc., which is not limited by the embodiments of the presentapplication. The battery cell may be cylindrical, flat, cuboid or inanother shape, which is also not limited by the embodiments of thepresent application. The battery cell is generally divided into threetypes according to the way of packaging: a cylindrical battery cell, aprismatic battery cell and a pouch battery cell, which is not limited bythe embodiments of the present application.

The battery cell includes an electrode assembly and an electrolyticsolution, and the electrode assembly is composed of a positive electrodesheet, a negative electrode sheet and an isolation film. The operationof the battery cell mainly relies on the movement of metal ions betweenthe positive electrode sheet and the negative electrode sheet. Thepositive electrode sheet includes a positive electrode current collectorand a positive active material layer. The positive active material layeris coated on a surface of the positive electrode current collector, andthe current collector not coated with the positive active material layerprotrudes from the current collector coated with the positive activematerial layer and is used as a positive electrode tab. Taking alithium-ion battery as an example, the material of the positiveelectrode current collector may be aluminum, and the positive activematerial may be lithium cobalt oxides, lithium iron phosphate, ternarylithium or lithium manganate, or the like. The negative electrode sheetincludes a negative electrode current collector and a negative activematerial layer. The negative active material layer is coated on asurface of the negative electrode current collector, and the currentcollector not coated with the negative active material layer protrudesfrom the current collector coated with the negative active materiallayer and is used as a negative electrode tab. The material of thenegative electrode current collector may be copper, and the negativeelectrode active material may be carbon or silicon, etc. In order toensure that no fusing occurs when a large current passes, there are aplurality of positive electrode tabs which are stacked together, andthere are a plurality of negative electrode tabs which are stackedtogether. A material of the isolation film/may be PP (polypropylene), PE(polyethylene), or the like. In addition, the electrode assembly mayhave a winding structure or a laminated structure, and the embodimentsof the present application are not limited thereto.

The development of the battery technology must consider many designfactors at the time, such as energy density, cycle life, dischargecapacity, C-rate and other performance parameters. In addition, thesafety of the battery should also be considered.

During the use of the battery, due to short circuit, overcharge,collision and other reasons, a large amount of gas may be generated andthe temperature may rise rapidly inside the battery cell in a shorttime, which may eventually cause explosion and fire of the battery cell,resulting in safety risks. In order to solve this problem, a pressurerelief mechanism is usually provided on the battery cell. When thepressure relief mechanism is actuated, high-temperature andhigh-pressure substances inside the battery cell as emissions aredischarged outwards from an actuated position, that is, into the batterybox. In this way, the pressure and temperature in the battery cell maybe relieved in the case of a controllable pressure or temperature,thereby avoiding potentially more serious accidents. However, when thereare too many high-temperature and high-pressure substances dischargedfrom the battery cell into the box, there is also a possibility ofexplosion and fire after the internal pressure or temperature of the boxof the battery reaches a certain value. Therefore, a pressure reliefmechanism is also provided on the box of the battery, to control theinternal pressure or temperature of the box.

The pressure relief mechanism refers to an element or component that isactuated to relieve an internal pressure or temperature when theinternal pressure or temperature of the battery cell or box where it islocated reaches a predetermined threshold. The threshold design variesaccording to different design requirements, and the threshold of thepressure relief mechanism on the battery cell may depend on the materialof one or more of the positive electrode sheet, the negative electrodesheet, the electrolytic solution and the isolation film in the batterycell. The threshold of the pressure relief mechanism on the box of thebattery may depend on the number of battery cells inside the box, thematerial of one or more of the positive electrode sheet, the negativeelectrode sheet, the electrolytic solution and the isolation film ineach battery cell, and the material of the box itself.

The pressure relief mechanism may take the form of an explosion-proofvalve, an air valve, a pressure relief valve or a safety valve, etc.,and may specifically adopt a pressure-sensitive or temperature-sensitiveelement or structure. That is, when the internal pressure or temperatureof the battery cell or box where the pressure relief mechanism islocated reaches a predetermined threshold, the pressure relief mechanismperforms an action or a weakened structure provided in the pressurerelief mechanism is damaged, so as to form an opening or channel forrelieving the internal pressure or temperature.

The “actuation” mentioned in the present application means that thepressure relief mechanism acts or is activated to a certain state, suchthat the internal pressure and temperature of the battery cell or boxcan be relieved. The action generated by the pressure relief mechanismmay include but be not limited to: at least a portion of the pressurerelief mechanism being fractured, broken, torn or opened, and so on.

The emissions mentioned in the present application include but are notlimited to: the electrolytic solution, high-temperature particles (suchas the dissolved or split positive and negative electrode sheets, orfragments of the isolation film), high-temperature and high-pressuregases generated by reaction (such as combustible gases such as H₂ andCO), flames, etc.

During the use of the battery, a large amount of gas is generated andthe temperature rises rapidly inside the battery cell in a short time,which causes the pressure relief mechanism on the battery cell to beactuated, to discharge a large amount of gas into the box of thebattery, causes a large amount of gas in the box to gather and thetemperature to rise, and may eventually cause explosion and fire of thebattery. This phenomenon is called thermal runaway of the battery.

When thermal runaway occurs in the battery, the pressure reliefmechanism on the box of the battery is actuated to relieve the pressureor temperature in the battery. However, in the prior art, the pressurerelief mechanism on the box is directly exposed to the air, which causesthe high-temperature gas generated when thermal runaway occurs in thebattery to come in contact with oxygen in the air after being dischargedby the pressure relief mechanism, which is easy to produce open flames,resulting in explosion and fire.

In view of this, the present application provides a fire-fightingapparatus 500 which can be configured for a battery 40. With thefire-fighting apparatus 500, the risk of open flames when thermalrunaway occurs in the battery 40 can be reduced, and the spread of thethermal runaway of the battery 40 can be suppressed, thereby achievingthe purpose of fire prevention and safety protection.

An embodiment of the present application provides a power consumptionapparatus using a battery 40 as a power source, and the powerconsumption apparatus may be, but is not limited to, a vehicle, a shipor an aircraft, or the like.

It can be understood that the battery described in the embodiment of thepresent application is applicable to various apparatuses using apparatusbatteries, such as mobile phones, notebook computers, battery carts,electric vehicles, ships, spacecrafts, electric toys and electric tools,etc., for example, the spacecrafts include rockets, space shuttles andspaceships, etc.; the electric toys include fixed or mobile electrictoys, such as game consoles, electric vehicle toys, electric ship toysand electric airplane toys, etc.; the electric tools include metalcutting power tools, grinding power tools, assembly power tools andrailway power tools, such as electric drills, electric grinders,electric wrenches, electric screwdrivers, electric hammers, concretevibrators, and electric planers.

The battery 40 described in an embodiment of the present application isnot only applicable to the power consumption apparatus described above,but also applicable to all apparatuses that use batteries.

As shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of avehicle 10 according to an embodiment of the present application. Thevehicle 10 may be a fuel-powered vehicle, a gas-powered vehicle or a newenergy vehicle. The new energy vehicle may be a battery electricvehicle, a hybrid vehicle or an extended-range vehicle, or the like. Amotor 20, a controller 30 and a battery 40 may be provided inside thevehicle 10, and the controller 30 is configured to control the battery40 to supply power to the motor 20, for example, the battery 40 isprovided at the bottom or head of the vehicle 10. The battery 40 may beconfigured to supply power to the vehicle 10. For example, the battery40 may be configured as an operation power source of the vehicle and isconfigured to a circuit system of the vehicle 10, for example, for aworking power demand of the vehicle 10 during startup, navigation andrunning.

In another embodiment of the present application, the battery 40 may beconfigured not only as an operation power source of the vehicle 10, butalso as a driving power source of the vehicle 10, replacing or partiallyreplacing fuel or natural gas to provide driving power for the vehicle10.

In some embodiments, the vehicle 10 is powered by a battery 40 as shownin FIG. 2 . The battery 40 may include a box assembly 400 and a batterycell 600, the battery assembly 400 includes a box 410, and the batterycell 600 is provided in the box 410.

As shown in FIG. 2-4 , the box assembly 400 provided by an embodiment ofthe present application may include the foregoing box 410, afire-fighting apparatus 500 and a pressure relief mechanism 700. Thefire-fighting apparatus 500 is provided outside the box 410, and thefire-fighting apparatus 500 includes a pipe 510, and an air inlet end511 of the pipe 510 is connected to the box 410, for example, the airinlet end 511 is connected to the box 410 through the pressure reliefmechanism 700.

In an embodiment of the present application, the pressure reliefmechanism 700 is configured to be actuated when an air pressure ortemperature in the box 410 reaches a preset value (for example, when anair pressure or temperature reaches a second threshold), so that acombustible gas in the box 410 can enter the fire-fighting apparatus 500through the air inlet end 511. In this way, when thermal runaway occursin the battery 40, the combustible gas generated by the thermal runawayof the battery cell 600 in the box 410 can be discharged into thefire-fighting apparatus 500 via the pressure relief mechanism 700, sothat the fire-fighting apparatus 500 performs fire-fighting processingon the foregoing combustible gas, thereby reducing the possibility offire, and simultaneously reducing the air pressure inside the box 410 intime to prevent explosion.

In an embodiment of the present application, the pressure reliefmechanism 700 may be provided on the box 410, or provided on thefire-fighting apparatus 500, for example, provided on the pipe 510 ofthe fire-fighting apparatus 500.

As shown in FIG. 2-4 , in an embodiment of the present application, thepressure relief mechanism 700 is provided on the box 410, and the airinlet end 511 of the pipe 510 is provided on the pressure reliefmechanism 700 while covering it, so that all combustible gases comingout through the pressure relief mechanism 700 can enter the pipe 510. Inother embodiments of the present application, the pressure reliefmechanism 700 may be provided at the air inlet end 511.

In an embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 2-4 , thebox 410 may include a lower box 411 and an upper cover body 412, and theupper cover body 412 is hermetically covered on the lower box 411. Thefire-fighting apparatus 500 may be connected to the lower box 411. Inother embodiments of the present application, the fire-fightingapparatus 500 may be connected to the upper cover body 412 of the box410.

As shown in FIG. 5-7 , a fire-fighting apparatus 500 provided by anembodiment of the present application may include a pipe 510, a gasrelease mechanism 520, and a blocking structure 530. The pipe 510 has anair inlet end 511 and an air outlet end 512. The air inlet end 511 isconfigured to be connected to a box 410 of the battery so that acombustible gas generated in the battery 40 during a thermal runawayevent is capable of entering the pipe 510 from the box 410 via the airinlet end 511 and being discharged from the pipe 510 via the air outletend 512. The gas release mechanism 520 is configured to be connected tothe pipe 510, and the gas release mechanism 520 is configured to releasea fire-fighting gas into the pipe 510 when thermal runaway occurs in thebattery 40. A blocking structure 530 is provided in the pipe 510, and isconfigured to block the fire-fighting gas and combustible gas and changea flow direction, so that the fire-fighting gas and combustible gas arecapable of being mixed before being discharged from the pipe 510.

With the foregoing technical solution, when thermal runaway occurs inthe battery 40, the combustible gas inside the box 410 enters the pipe510 via the air inlet end 511 of the pipe 510, so that an air pressureinside the box 410 of the battery 40 is reduced, and the possibility ofexplosion caused by excessive air pressure inside the box 410 isreduced. In addition, a fire-fighting gas is produced, which quicklyfills the pipe 510, and drives the combustible gas to be discharged fromthe air outlet end 512 of the pipe 510 after being mixed with thecombustible gas. Therefore, it is possible to provide a barrier betweenthe external air and the combustible gas discharged from the box 410.

Furthermore, a blocking structure 530 allows the combustible gas and thefire-fighting gas to mix in the pipe 510, to reduce the concentration ofthe combustible gas in the pipe 510, so that the mixed gas dischargedfrom the air outlet end 512 of the pipe 510 is not easy to catch fire orexplode when it comes into contact with air. In addition, thefire-fighting gas is also beneficial for lowering a temperature of thecombustible gas, thereby further preventing the occurrence of openflames.

To sum up, the fire-fighting apparatus 500 provided in the foregoingembodiment of the present application could reduce the risk of openflames when thermal runaway occurs in the battery, while suppressing thespread of thermal runaway in the battery 40, to achieve the purpose offire prevention and safety protection.

The air inlet end 511 of the pipe 510 may be directly connected to thebox 410 of the battery 40, or indirectly connected thereto through anintermediate member, which is not limited in the present application.

In the embodiment of the present application, the fire-fighting gas maybe any suitable gas as long as it can have a fire prevention effectafter being mixed with the combustible gas.

In some embodiments of the present application, the fire-fighting gasmay include a non-combustible gas such as an inert gas, carbon dioxidegas, heptafluoropropane gas, sulfur hexafluoride, or the like.

In order to ensure the full mixing of the fire-fighting gas and thecombustible gas, the blocking structure 530 may be configured to make aflow path of at least part of a gas in the pipe 510 a meandering shape,that is, through the blocking structure 530, the mixed gas of thefire-fighting gas and the combustible gas at least partially travelsalong a curved path toward the air outlet end 512 of the pipe 510 in thepipe 510. The advantages of the gas traveling in the pipe 510 in ameandering manner are as follows: on one hand, a mixing path of thefire-fighting gas and the combustible gas can be extended, and a mixingtime of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas can be increased,thereby improving the mixing effect of the two; on another hand,traveling in a meandering manner intensifies the colliding and mixing ofthe fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas, thereby improving themixing effect of the two and reducing the situation of the occurrence offire due to the excessively high local concentration of the combustiblegas even discharged from the pipe 510.

Here, the flow path of the gas in “the meandering shape” may mean thatthe flow path of the gas in the pipe 510 is any suitable curved shapesuch as an S-shape, a spiral shape, a sine/cosine wave, or the like.

In order to ensure that the gas travels in the pipe 510 in a meanderingmanner, in some embodiments of the present application, a projection ofthe blocking structure 530 in an extension direction of the pipe coversa projection of a cavity (that is, an inner passage) of the pipe 510 inthe extension direction of the pipe 510. For example, in the embodimentshown in FIG. 6 , a projection of two baffle plates 531 of the blockingstructure 530 that are disposed at interval in an extension direction ofthe pipe 510 covers a projection of a cavity of the pipe 510 in theextension direction of the pipe 510, so that the combustible gasdischarged from the box 410 and the fire-fighting gas both in the pipe510 flow through the blocking structure 530 and travel in a meanderingmanner rather than in a straight line.

In the embodiment of the present application, the blocking structure 530may have any appropriate structure as long as it can make a flow path ofthe gas a meandering shape when the gas flows through the blockingstructure 530.

As shown in FIG. 714 , in an embodiment of the present application, ablocking structure 530 may include a plurality of baffle plates 531, andthe plurality of baffle plates 531 are arranged at interval in anextension direction of a pipe 510. The baffle plate 531 is provided withan opening 800 for a gas to pass through, or the baffle plate 531encloses with an inner wall of the pipe 510 to form an opening 800 for agas to pass through. The projections of two adjacent openings 800 in theextension direction of the pipe 510 are disposed to be misaligned, sothat when the gas flows through the plurality of baffle plates 531, aflow path of the gas is in a meandering path. The baffle plate 531 cannot only mix the gases, but also prevent a high-temperature particleentering the pipe 510 from the box 410 from flowing out of the pipe 510,thereby avoiding risks that may be caused by the outflow of thehigh-temperature particle, such as causing a fire.

As described above, in order to allow the gas to pass through theblocking structure 530, the baffle plate 531 may be provided with anopening 800, or the baffle plate 531 may enclose with an inner wall ofthe pipe 510 to form an opening 800, or the baffle plate 531 may beprovided with an opening 800, and meanwhile the baffle plate 531 and theinner wall of the pipe 510 may also define the opening 800.

As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 , in some embodiments of the presentapplication, each baffle plate 531 encloses with the inner wall of thepipe 510 are enclosed to form an opening 800, and corresponding twoadjacent openings 800 formed by enclosing the inner wall of the pipe 510with baffle plate 531 are disposed to be misaligned. As shown in FIG. 8, a shape of the opening 800 is a quarter circle. As shown in FIG. 9 , ashape of the opening 800 is a semicircle.

As shown in FIG. 10 , in an embodiment of the present application, anopening 800 is formed on each baffle plate 531, and the two adjacentopenings 800 formed by the baffle plates 531 and the inner wall of thepipe 510 are disposed to be misaligned. The shape of the opening 800 maybe a circle.

It should be noted that the specific shape of the opening 800 is notlimited in the present application, but may be determined according tothe shape of the projection (that is, the cross section) of the pipe 510in the extension direction of the pipe 510 and the shape of the baffleplate 531. In addition to the shapes shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 , it maybe a square, a polygon, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 11 , in an embodiment of the present application, thebaffle plate 531 is a circular baffle plate with a quarter circularnotch. A diameter of the circular baffle plate may be equal to an innerdiameter of the pipe 510, so that when an outer edge of the circularbaffle plate is connected to an inner wall of the pipe 510, the circularbaffle plate and the inner wall of the pipe 510 may be enclosed to forman opening 800 with a quarter circle shape.

A plurality of the above-mentioned circular baffle plates with notchesmay be divided into two groups, and the two groups of circular baffleplates are arranged at interval in the extension direction of the pipe510. Each group of circular baffle plates includes four circular baffleplates, the four circular baffle plates are arranged at interval in theextension direction of the pipe 510, and projections of quarter circularnotches of two adjacent circular baffle plates in the extensiondirection of the pipe 510 are disposed to be misaligned. In this way,when the mixed gas of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gasflows through the foregoing four circular baffle plates with notches, aflow path of the mixed gas is in a spiral shape, which is beneficial forthe full mixing of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the plurality of baffle plates 531 may beconnected as a whole through a first connecting rod 533 to facilitatethe connection between the plurality of baffle plates 531 and the pipe510. For example, when the plurality of baffle plates 531 are installed,only one of the baffle plates 531 is needed to be connected to the innerwall of the pipe 510 rather than each baffle plate 531 to be connectedto the inner wall of the pipe 510.

It can be understood that the number of the foregoing circular baffleplates with notches is not limited in the present application, and thenumber thereof may be eight as shown in FIG. 11 , or may be only onegroup of the foregoing circular baffle plates, that is, four circularbaffle plates are provided. Alternatively, only two circular baffleplates may be provided, so that a path of the gas flowing through thetwo circular baffle plates is S-shaped, which is also beneficial for themixing of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas.

As shown in FIG. 12-14 , in some embodiments of the present application,a plurality of baffle plates 531 at least include a pair of arc-shapedplates, and concave surfaces 5311 of the pair of arc-shaped plates aredisposed opposite to each other. Since the concave surfaces 5311 of thepair of arc-shaped plates are disposed opposite to each other, when agas enters an interval of the pair of arc-shaped plates, a concavesurface 5311 of one arc-shaped plate of the pair of arc-shaped platescan guide the gas toward the other arc-shaped plate, which couldintensify the collision of gases between the pair of arc-shaped platesand increase the mixing time of the gases, and thus it is beneficial fora full mixing of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas.

It should be noted that the embodiment of the present application doesnot limit the specific shape of the arc-shaped plate. Optionally, thearc-shaped plate may be configured as a C-shaped plate as shown in FIG.12 , or as a spherical plate as shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 . TheC-shaped plate and the spherical plate are simple in structure. In otherembodiments of the present application, the arc-shaped plate may be anS-shaped plate, or the like.

As shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 , in an embodiment of the presentapplication, a blocking structure 530 includes a spiral blade 532. Acenterline of the spiral blade 532 may coincide with or be parallel to acentral axis of the pipe 510, so that the spiral blade 532 can make aflow path of the mixed gas a spiral shape, which is beneficial for thefull mixing of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas.

In order to further improve the mixing effect of the blocking structure530 on the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas, as shown in FIG.15 and FIG. 16 , there may be a plurality of spiral blades 532 (forexample, two spiral blades), and the plurality of spiral blades 532 arearranged in an extension direction of the pipe 510, and directions ofrotation of two adjacent spiral blades 532 are opposite. The spiralblades 532 with two different rotary directions may change a directionof rotation of the gas, which could further enhance the effect of mixingthe gases.

As shown in FIG. 16 , a plurality of spiral blades 532 may be connectedas a whole through a second connecting rod 534 to facilitate theconnection between the plurality of spiral blades 532 and the pipe 510.For example, when the plurality of spiral blades 532 are installed, maybe enough to connect only one of the spiral blades 532 may be connectedto the inner wall of the pipe 510 rather than connect each spiral blade532 to the inner wall of the pipe 510.

FIG. 16 shows an embodiment in which there are two spiral blades 532. Inother embodiments of the present application, the number of the spiralblades 532 may be multiple such as, three, four, five, or the like,which may be determined according to factors such as the size of thepipe 510 in the extension direction, and the present application doesnot limit thereto.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 17 , in an embodiment of the presentapplication, a baffle plate 531 and a spiral blade 532 may be providedin the pipe 510 at the same time.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 18 , in an embodiment of the presentapplication, a wall of the pipe 510 is recessed inwardly to form aconvex part 535 in a cavity of the pipe 510, and the convex part 535 canplay a role in blocking the air flow, changing the direction of the airflow, which is beneficial for the mixing of the fire-fighting gas andthe combustible gas. That is, in this embodiment, the blocking structure530 includes the convex part 535.

As shown in FIG. 18 , there may be a plurality of convex parts 535, andthe plurality of convex parts 535 are arranged at interval in anextension direction of the pipe 510, so as to further enhance the effectof blocking the gas and improve the effect of mixing the combustible gasand the fire-fighting gas.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 18 , the plurality of convex parts 535 mayinclude at least one pair of arc-shaped convex parts, and arc-shapedconcave surfaces 5351 of the arc-shaped convex parts are disposedopposite to each other. When a gas enters an interval of the pair ofarc-shaped convex parts, an arc-shaped concave surface of one arc-shapedconvex part of the pair of arc-shaped convex parts can guide the gastowards the other arc-shaped convex part, which could intensify thecollision of gases between the pair of arc-shaped convex parts andincrease the mixing time of the gases, and thus it is beneficial for afull mixing of the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas.

In addition, it should be noted that, in addition to the foregoing waysof arranging the baffle plate 531 and the spiral blades 532 in the pipe510 or forming the convex part 535 by recessing the wall of the pipe 510to construct the blocking structure 530, in other embodiments of thepresent application, a plurality of small protrusions may be provided onthe inner wall of the pipe 510 to construct the blocking structure 530.In other embodiments, the cavity (that is, the internal passage) of thepipe 510 may also be designed, for example, the cavity is designed toinclude a plurality of cavity segments in the extension direction of thepipe 510, and at least one pressurized cavity segment is included in theplurality of cavity segments. In this way, when the fire-fighting gasand the combustible gas flow through the pressurized cavity segment, theflow rate is increased, which is beneficial for the uniform mixing ofthe two. Here, the pressurized cavity segment may be configured as astructure whose internal cavity is tapered along a direction from theair inlet end 511 to the air outlet end 512 of the pipe 510.

As shown in FIG. 17 to FIG. 19 , in some embodiments of the presentapplication, an installation position of the gas release mechanism 520while compared with the blocking structure 530, is closer to the airinlet end 511, so as to facilitate the full mixing of the fire-fightinggas and the combustible gas through the blocking structure 530, therebyensuring the mixing effect of the blocking structure 530 on thefire-fighting gas and the combustible gas.

It can be understood that in other embodiments of the presentapplication, when the number of the blocking structures 530 is multiple,or each blocking structure 530 includes a plurality of baffle plates531, the installation position of the gas release mechanism 520 on thepipe 510 may be located between the plurality of blocking structures530, or between the plurality of baffle plates 531.

In an embodiment of the present application, the gas release mechanism520 may be directly connected to the pipe 510, for example, plugged intothe pipe 510. The gas release mechanism 520 may also be indirectlyconnected to the pipe 510, for example, the gas release mechanism 520 isconnected to a gas guiding pipe, and the gas guiding pipe extends fromthe air outlet end of the pipe 510 to a position close to the air inletend 511 of the pipe 510, and the gas guiding pipe is configured to guidea gas released by the gas release mechanism 520 into the pipe 510.

As shown in FIG. 19 , in some embodiments of the present application,the gas release mechanism 520 is directly installed at the pipe 510. Thedirect installation of the gas release mechanism 520 at the pipe 510could shorten the time for the fire-fighting gas to enter the pipe 510,and omit an intermediate connector between the gas release mechanism 520and the pipe 510, for example, omit the foregoing gas guiding pipe, andthe structure could be simplified and the cost could be saved.

The gas release mechanism 520 may be disposed either outside or insidethe pipe 510.

As shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 , in an embodiment of the presentapplication, a gas release mechanism 520 may be disposed outside a pipe510. A through hole 513 is provided on a wall of the pipe 510, and thegas release mechanism 520 is connected to the through hole 513 torelease a fire-fighting gas into the pipe 510 through the through hole513. The gas release mechanism 520 is disposed outside the pipe 510, sothat a size of the gas release mechanism 520 may not be limited by asize of a cavity of the pipe 510, which is beneficial for theinstallation of the gas release mechanism 520 which has a larger gasproduction.

As shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 , in an embodiment of the presentapplication, the number of through holes 513 is multiple, and themultiple through holes 513 are arranged at interval in an extensiondirection of the pipe 510. The multiple through holes 513 may ensure arapid release of a sufficient amount of fire-fighting gas, thus ensuringthe reliability of fire prevention.

Regarding the relationship between the through hole 513 and the gasrelease mechanism 520, each through hole 513 may correspond to one gasrelease mechanism 520, or multiple through holes 513 may correspond toone gas release mechanism 520. In other words, only one gas releasemechanism 520 may be provided, and the gas release mechanism 520 isconnected to the pipe 510 through the multiple through holes 513. Aplurality of gas release mechanisms 520 may be provided, and each gasrelease mechanism 520 may correspond to one, two or any suitable numberof through holes 513.

The foregoing through hole 513 may be configured as a threaded throughhole 513 to form a threaded connection with the gas release mechanism520, so as to ensure the reliability of the installation of the gasrelease mechanism 520 on the pipe 510 and the sealing connection of thegas release mechanism 520 and the pipe 510.

Optionally, a sealant (a sealing silicone rubber) may be provided at aconnection position of the gas release mechanism 520 and the pipe 510 tofurther ensure the sealing performance of the connection between the gasrelease mechanism 520 and the inner wall of the through hole 513.

The embodiment of the present application does not limit a length L ofthe pipe. Optionally, as shown in FIG. 19 , in an embodiment of thepresent application, the length L of the pipe is 50-200 cm. Theadvantages of setting the length L of the pipe within such a range areas follows: first, it facilitates the installation of the gas releasemechanism 520, which is beneficial for the installation of a pluralityof gas release mechanisms 520; second, a distance for loweringtemperature is increased, so that the mixed gas of the fire-fighting gasand the combustible gas has a sufficient distance for loweringtemperature, and thus the possibility of catching a fire at the airoutlet end of the pipe 510 is reduced; third, a distance for exchangingthe oxygen is increased, so that a high-temperature region near the box410 becomes an oxygen-deficient region, thereby reducing the risk ofopen flames in the high-temperature region.

In order to facilitate the connection between the pipe 510 and the box410, as shown in FIG. 19 and FIG. 20 , in an embodiment of the presentapplication, the air inlet end 511 of the pipe 510 is provided with aflange 514.

As shown in FIG. 21 , a fire-fighting apparatus 500 also includes a gascollection device 540, and the gas collection device 540 is hermeticallyconnected to the air outlet end 512 of the pipe 510, and is configuredto collect a gas discharged from the air outlet end, so as to preventthe mixed gas from being directly discharged to the external environmentand polluting the environment.

In an embodiment of the present application, the gas release mechanism520 may have any suitable structure and shape. As shown in FIG. 22-25 ,the gas release mechanism 520 may include a fire-fighting medium 521 (afire-fighting agent), a housing 522, and a closure member 523. Thefire-fighting medium 521 may be a fire-fighting gas or a fire-fightingsolid or a fire-fighting liquid capable of generating the fire-fightinggas. The housing 522 is configured to accommodate the fire-fightingmedium 521, and the housing 522 is connected to the through hole 513,and the housing 522 is provided with an air outlet hole 5221. Theclosure member 523 is configured to enclose the air outlet hole 5221,and the closure member 523 is configured to release closure of the airoutlet hole 5221 when thermal runaway occurs in the battery 40, so thatthe fire-fighting gas enters the pipe 510 through the air outlet hole5221.

In this embodiment, when the battery 40 works normally, the closuremember 523 closes the air outlet hole 5221. When thermal runaway occursin the battery the closure member 523 releases the closure of the airoutlet hole 5221, that is, the air outlet hole 5221 opens, so that thefire-fighting gas in the housing 522 can enter the pipe 510 through theair outlet hole 5221 to realize mixing with the combustible gas.

Here, in addition to the inert gas, carbon dioxide gas,heptafluoropropane gas, sulfur hexafluoride, or the like, thefire-fighting gas may be any other appropriate gas that is helpful toprevent fires, which is not listed here.

The closure member 523 may be configured to open when a pressure (suchas the air pressure in the housing 522) reaches a certain value, or maybe configured to open when a temperature reaches a certain value if theclosure member 523 is a membrane or a pressure valve, for example, theclosure member 523 is configured as a meltable membrane, to be capableof melting when the temperature reaches a certain value, so as to openthe air outlet hole 5221.

As shown in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23 , the fire-fighting medium 521 is afire-fighting solid or a fire-fighting liquid, the gas release mechanism520 further includes a trigger 524, and the trigger 524 is configured totrigger the fire-fighting solid or fire-fighting liquid to generate afire-fighting gas when thermal runaway occurs in the battery. Theclosure member 523 is configured to be able to open the air outlet hole5221 when the air pressure in the housing 522 reaches a first threshold,so as to release the fire-fighting gas.

In this embodiment, when thermal runaway occurs in the battery 40, thetrigger 524 triggers the fire-fighting medium 521 to generate a largeamount of fire-fighting gas, and the fire-fighting gas gathers in thehousing 522 so that the air pressure in the housing 522 increases. Whenthe air pressure reaches the first threshold, the air outlet hole 5221opens through the closure member 523, and the fire-fighting gas in thehousing 522 enters the pipe 510 through the through hole 513.

The trigger 524 may be an electrically controlled thermal initiator,which generates heat when thermal runaway occurs in the battery, so asto trigger the fire-fighting solid or the fire-fighting liquid togenerate the fire-fighting gas.

In addition, the foregoing “first threshold” may be any appropriatevalue, and the specific parameter may be determined according to theactual situation.

In an embodiment of the present application, a controller may be used tosend a trigger signal to the trigger 524. The controller configured tosend the trigger signal to the trigger 524 may be a controller of thebattery 40 or a built-in controller of the fire-fighting apparatus 500.The controller may detect the thermal runaway of the battery 40 through,for example, a temperature sensor or a smoke sensor, or the like. Whenthe thermal runaway occurs in the battery 40, the temperature sensor orthe smoke sensor may send the detected result to the controller, andthen the controller controls the trigger 524 to work according to thedetection structure of the temperature sensor or the smoke sensor.

As shown in FIG. 22 , the gas release mechanism 520 also includes a lead525, one end of the lead 525 is electrically connected to the trigger524, and another end thereof may pass through the housing 522 and beelectrically connected to an external controller. The controller sends,to the trigger 524 through the lead 525, a trigger signal used fortriggering the fire-fighting medium 521 to generate the gas. In otherembodiments, the controller may communicate wirelessly with the trigger524.

As shown in FIG. 24 and FIG. 25 , in another embodiment of the presentapplication, a fire-fighting medium 521 is a fire-fighting liquid or afire-fighting gas capable of generating a fire-fighting gas, and thefire-fighting liquid or the fire-fighting gas is encapsulated in ahousing 522. When a closure member 523 closes the air outlet hole 5221,a pressure in the housing 522 is greater than a pressure in the pipe510, that is, the fire-fighting liquid or the fire-fighting gas ispressurized and encapsulated in the housing 522, and the closure member523 is a valve, such as an electric control valve.

In this embodiment, when the battery 40 is in normal conditions, acertain pressure is maintained in the housing 522, and the closuremember 523 closes the air outlet hole 5221. If the fire-fighting medium521 is the fire-fighting liquid, when thermal runaway occurs in thebattery 40, the air outlet hole 5221 opens through the closure member523, so that the inner portion of the housing 522 communicates with theinner portion of the pipe 510, and the pressure in the housing 522decreases, so that the fire-fighting liquid is vaporized and enters thepipe 510 through the air outlet hole 5221.

In this embodiment, when the fire-fighting medium 521 is thefire-fighting gas, since the fire-fighting gas is pressurized andencapsulated in the housing 522, the fire-fighting gas may be sprayedinto the pipe 510 when the air outlet hole 5221 opens through theclosure member 523, thereby ensuring the reliability of releasing thegas into the pipe 510 by the gas release mechanism 520.

As shown in FIG. 24 and FIG. 25 , the housing 522 is also provided witha sealing valve 526 configured to input the fire-fighting liquid or thefire-fighting gas.

In the embodiment of the present application, the fire-fighting mediummay be one or more of the fire-fighting solid, the fire-fighting liquidand the fire-fighting gas, which is not limited in the presentapplication.

The fire-fighting solid, such as a solid aerosol, is adjustable in bothsize and shape, and also has a large gas production per unit volume,which can maximize the space utilization. The fire-fighting solid istriggered to generate the gas when the thermal runway occurs, forming anaerosol form.

Optionally, the fire-fighting medium 521 may be selected from asubstance that can generate a free radical scavenger or contain a freeradical scavenges, and the free radical scavenger, also known as a freeradical capture agent is a substance that can react with an active freeradical to form a stable free radical or a stable molecule. For example,2,2-diphenyl-1-trinitrophenylhydrazine (DPPH), p-benzoquinone,tetramethylbenzoquinone, 2-methyl-2-nitrosomethane, andphenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone, etc. can react with the free radical toform a stable free radical.

In this embodiment, the fire-fighting medium 521 is solid potassiumnitrate, which thermally decomposes to form a free radical scavenger.The free radical scavenger is easier to combine with oxygen (includingoxygen in the gas discharged from the pressure relief mechanism 700,oxygen in the pipe 510, and oxygen in the external environment) or asubstance discharged from the pressure relief mechanism 700 that is easyto combine with oxygen to generate a high-temperature combustiblesubstance, and the substance combined with the free radical scavenger isa combustible free radical. The free radical scavenger can consume acombustible free radical generated after the thermal runaway of thebattery 40, which reduces the possibility of combining and combusting ofthe combustible free radical and oxygen, and reduces the possibility ofgenerating open flames from tackling the root cause. The free radicalscavenger combining with the combustible free radical can generate inertgas such as nitrogen, the inert gas is difficult to chemically reactwith oxygen or other substances, and occupies the internal space of thepipe 510, so as to reduce the oxygen content in the pipe 510, dilute thegas in the pipe 510 and reduce the concentration of combustiblesubstances and oxygen in the pipe 510. The inert gas occupying the innerspace of the pipe 510 also acts as a barrier between the external airand the gas discharged from the pressure relief mechanism 700, therebyreducing or avoiding the contact between the external air and the gasdischarged from the pressure relief mechanism 700. In addition,decomposition of the reagent absorbs heat, which could lower thetemperature in the pipe 510 and further prevent the generation of openflames. Different reagents produce different free radical scavengers,and the combustible free radicals that can be combined with are alsodifferent, so that different inert gases can be produced.

The fire-fighting liquid may be liquid sulfur hexafluoride orhexafluoropropane, and the gasification thereof can achieve the effectof lowering the temperature. Since sulfur hexafluoride orhexafluoropropane has strong electrical insulation characteristics, itcan dilute the combustible gas while protecting the high voltage circuitof the battery 40.

In an embodiment of the present application, the housing 522 of the gasrelease mechanism 520 may be a steel housing (such as a stainless steelhousing) to ensure the strength of the housing 522.

According to another aspect of the present application, a method forproducing a battery is provided, as shown in FIG. 26 , the methodincludes the following steps.

S1, providing a battery cell 600; S2, providing a box 410;

S3: providing a fire-fighting apparatus 500, the fire-fight apparatus500 includes a pipe 510 and a gas release mechanism 520, the pipe 510has an air inlet end 511 and an air outlet end, and the air inlet end511 is configured to be connected to the box 410, so that a combustiblegas generated in the battery during a thermal runaway is capable ofentering the pipe 510 from the box 410 via the air inlet end 511 andbeing discharged from the pipe 510 via the air outlet end 512. The gasrelease mechanism 520 is connected to the pipe 510, and the gas releasemechanism 520 is configured to release a fire-fighting gas into the pipe510 when thermal runaway occurs in the battery. A blocking structure 530is provided in the pipe 510, and the blocking structure 530 isconfigured to block the fire-fighting gas and the combustible gas andchange a flow direction, so that the combustible gas and thefire-fighting gas are capable of being mixed before being dischargedfrom the pipe 510;

S4: disposing the battery cell 600 in the box 410; and S5: disposing thefire-fighting apparatus 500 outside the box 410, and connecting the airinlet end 511 to the box 410.

It should be noted that the sequence of the foregoing steps can beadjusted as required. For example, may first connect the air inlet end511 of the pipe 510 of the fire-fighting apparatus 500 with the box 410to form a box assembly 400, then place the battery cell 600 in the box410 of the box assembly 400.

The pipe 510, the gas release mechanism 520, and the blocking structure530 may be the foregoing pipe 510, the foregoing gas release mechanism520, and the foregoing blocking structure 530.

The foregoing descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of thepresent application, and are not intended to limit the presentapplication. For a person of skilled in the art, the present applicationmay have various modifications and variations. Any modification,equivalent substitution, improvement etc., made within the spirit andprinciple of the present application shall fall within the protectionscope of the present application.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fire-fighting apparatus configured for abattery, comprising: a pipe, having an air inlet end and an air outletend, the air inlet end being configured to be connected to a box of thebattery, so that a combustible gas generated when thermal runaway occursin the battery is capable of entering the pipe from the box via the airinlet end and is discharged from the pipe via the air outlet end; and agas release mechanism, configured to be connected to the pipe, the gasrelease mechanism being configured to release a fire-fighting gas intothe pipe when thermal runaway occurs in the battery; wherein a blockingstructure is provided in the pipe, and the blocking structure isconfigured to block the combustible gas and the fire-fighting gas andchange a flow direction, so that the combustible gas and thefire-fighting gas are capable of being mixed before being dischargedfrom the pipe; wherein the blocking structure comprises a spiral blade,and a centerline of the spiral blade coincides with or is parallel to acentral axis of the pipe.
 2. The fire-fighting apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the blocking structure is configured to make a flowpath of at least part of a gas in the pipe a meandering shape.
 3. Thefire-fighting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a projection ofthe blocking structure in the extension direction of the pipe covers aprojection of a cavity of the pipe in the extension direction of thepipe.
 4. The fire-fighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theblocking structure comprises a plurality of baffle plates, the pluralityof baffle plates are arranged at interval in an extension direction ofthe pipe, and the baffle plates are each provided with an opening for agas to pass through, or the baffle plates each enclose with an innerwall of the pipe to form an opening for a gas to pass through, whereinprojections of two adjacent openings of the baffle plates in theextension direction of the pipe are disposed to be misaligned.
 5. Thefire-fighting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the plurality ofbaffle plates at least comprise a pair of arc-shaped plates, and concavesurfaces of the pair of arc-shaped plates are disposed opposite to eachother.
 6. The fire-fighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theblocking structure comprises a plurality of spiral blades, the pluralityof spiral blades are arranged in the extension direction of the pipe,and directions of rotation of two adjacent spiral blades are opposite.7. The fire-fighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gasrelease mechanism is installed at the pipe.
 8. The fire-fightingapparatus according to claim 7, wherein an installation position of thegas release mechanism while compared with the blocking structure, iscloser to the air inlet end.
 9. The fire-fighting apparatus according toclaim 7, wherein the gas release mechanism is provided outside the pipe,a through hole is provided on a wall of the pipe, and the gas releasemechanism is connected to the through hole, to release the fire-fightinggas into the pipe through the through hole.
 10. The fire-fightingapparatus according to claim 9, wherein the through hole is multiple inquantity, and multiple the through holes are arranged at interval in theextension direction of the pipe.
 11. The fire-fighting apparatusaccording to claim 9, wherein the gas release mechanism comprises: afire-fighting medium, the fire-fighting medium being the fire-fightinggas or a fire-fighting solid or a fire-fighting liquid capable ofgenerating the fire-fighting gas; a housing, configured to accommodatethe fire-fighting medium, the housing being connected to the throughhole and being provided with an air outlet hole; and a closure member,configured to close the air outlet hole, the closure member beingconfigured to be capable of releasing closure of the air outlet holewhen thermal runaway occurs in the battery, so that the fire-fightinggas enters the pipe through the air outlet hole.
 12. The fire-fightingapparatus according to claim 11, wherein the fire-fighting medium is thefire-fighting solid or the fire-fighting liquid, and the gas releasemechanism further comprises a trigger, the trigger is configured totrigger the fire-fighting solid or the fire-fighting liquid when thermalrunaway occurs in the battery to generate the fire-fighting gas, and theclosure member is configured to be capable of opening the air outlethole to release the fire-fighting gas when an air pressure in thehousing reaches a first threshold.
 13. The fire-fighting apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the fire-fighting medium is thefire-fighting gas or the fire-fighting liquid being capable ofgenerating the fire-fighting gas, and the fire-fighting liquid or thefire-fighting gas is encapsulated in the housing, and when the airoutlet hole is closed by the closure member, a pressure in the housingis greater than a pressure in the pipe, and the closure member is avalve.
 14. The fire-fighting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein alength of the pipe is 50-200 cm.
 15. The fire-fighting apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the fire-fighting apparatus furthercomprises a gas collection device, and the gas collection device ishermetically connected to the air outlet end to collect a gas dischargedfrom the air outlet end.
 16. A box assembly, comprising: a box,configured to accommodate a battery cell; the fire-fighting apparatusaccording to claim 1, the fire-fighting apparatus being provided outsidethe box, and the air inlet end of the fire-fighting apparatus beingconnected to the box; and a pressure relief mechanism, configured to beactuated when an air pressure or temperature in the box reaches athreshold, so that a combustible gas in the box is capable of enteringthe pipe from the air inlet end.
 17. The box assembly according to claim16, wherein the pressure relief mechanism is provided on the box, andthe air inlet end is covered on the pressure relief mechanism.
 18. Abattery, comprising: the box assembly according to claim 16; and abattery cell, provided in the box.
 19. A method for producing a battery,comprising: providing a battery cell; providing a box; providing afire-fighting apparatus, the fire-fighting apparatus comprising: a pipe,having an air inlet end and an air outlet end, the air inlet end beingconfigured to be connected to the box, so that a combustible gasgenerated when thermal runaway occurs in the battery is capable ofentering the pipe from the box via the air inlet end and is dischargedfrom the pipe via the air outlet end; and a gas release mechanism, beingconnected to the pipe, the gas release mechanism being configured torelease a fire-fighting gas into the pipe when thermal runaway occurs inthe battery; wherein a blocking structure is provided in the pipe, andthe blocking structure is configured to block the combustible gas andthe fire-fighting gas and change a flow direction, so that thecombustible gas and the fire-fighting gas are capable of being mixedbefore being discharged from the pipe; wherein the blocking structurecomprises a spiral blade, and a centerline of the spiral blade coincideswith or is parallel to a central axis of the pipe; disposing the batterycell in the box; and disposing the fire-fighting apparatus outside thebox, and connecting the air inlet end to the box.